Operation Rescue will join Project Defending Life and the Survivors for an event August 2-10th to train activists and bolster community support for a ban on abortions after 20 weeks

Albuquerque, NM – In a titanic effort that garnered twice the necessary signatures in half the required time, pro-life groups spearheaded by Project Defending Life have submitted 27,000 signatures to the Albuquerque City Clerk on a city-wide legislative petition to ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation. That number of signatures virtually ensures the proposed late-term abortion ban will be on the ballot in an upcoming election, possibly as soon as October 8.

“The concerned citizens of Albuquerque were able to obtain 27,000 signatures, well over double the necessary number, in less than 30 days! Due to the overwhelming support of Albuquerque registered voters, we are calling on the ABQ City Council to listen to the resounding voice of the people and adopt this ordinance as written and ensure that this Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection ordinance will make it onto the October 8 ballot,” said Bud Shaver spokesman for Project Defending Life.

Albuquerque is the home of Southwestern Women’s Options, the largest late-term abortion clinic in the U.S. Project Defending Life’s Tara Shaver has obtained nearly a dozen 911 calls that document all-too-frequent abortion-related medical emergencies at that clinic.

The Shavers have also obtained a consent form given to late-term abortion customers by Southwestern Women’s Options that confirms that abortions after 18 weeks gestation carry higher risks to the women than birthing a full-term living child.

“No guarantee or assurance has been made to me as to the results that may be obtained,” states the abortion consent form. “The risk of terminating a pregnancy gradually increases throughout the course of the pregnancy. These comparative risks become approximately equal at 16-18 weeks of pregnancy and increase so that pregnancy termination at 18 weeks and above involves a greater risk than carrying the pregnancy to term.” (Emphasis added.)

“The statements made by this notorious late-term abortion clinic about the risks of abortion past 18 weeks bolster the need to protect women and their babies from the admitted dangers of this grisly and barbaric abortion procedure. The city ordinance is a reasonable way to protect the public,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue, which has worked side by side with Project Defending Life to expose and end late-term abortions in New Mexico.

The city-wide effort is unique and has garnered national attention since revelations of gruesome abortion abuses surfaced at the trial of convicted murderer Kermit Gosnell and against Houston abortionist Douglas Karpen. Women come from all over the U.S. to Albuquerque for abortions in the latest days of pregnancy – abortions that are illegal in most states.

Two of the late-term abortionists employed by Southwestern Women’s Options were former employees of late-term abortionist George Tiller in Kansas, and were featured in the Sundance Film Festival movie “After Tiller.”

Once the signatures are certified by the City Clerk’s office, the City Council will have three options for handling the petition. It can adopt the measure, in which case no vote would be needed and the new proposed ordinance would become law. That option appears to be the least likely scenario. The City Council could attempt to amend the language, in which case both the petition language and the amended version would go up for a popular vote. However, the most likely course of action will be for the City Council to simply ignore the petition, which would require the measure to be placed on a ballot for a city-wide vote.

If the city officials drag out the process and miss placing the initiative on the October 8, ballot, the city would be forced to hold a special election at the cost to the city of around $500,000. Pro-life groups worked hard to garner enough signatures in half the allotted time in order to avoid the extra expense of a special election.

Already the local media is putting forth the fallacious argument that if the late-term abortion ban is approved by Albuquerque voters, it would be nullified as being in conflict with state law. However, that is simply not true. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the right of states to make laws restricting abortions in the later stages of pregnancy. Eight states have passed similar laws, most recently in Texas where pro-abortion forces attempted to disrupt the state legislature to hinder passage.

However, an ABC/Washington Post poll released just yesterday confirmed that 56% of Americans support restrictions on abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

Operation Rescue will join Project Defending Life and the Survivors for a pro-life event in Albuquerque, which will be held August 2-10. They will train activists and bolster support for banning late-term abortions there. Both Newman and Operation Rescue Senior Policy Advisor Cheryl Sullenger will be featured speakers and presenters.

For more information about the upcoming pro-life event in Albuquerque, please visit ProLifeWitness.org.

Operation Rescue encourages the public to contact the nine members of the Albuquerque City Council and urge its members to ensure that the measure gets on the ballot without amendments for the October 8 city-wide election.

Detailed contact information can be found at this link. E-mail addresses for all nine City Council members follow:

RAW Footage of Tara Shaver’s interview with Local ABC News Channel 7 announcing a historic effort here in the Late-Term abortion Capital of the Nation for “the peoples” voice to be heard and allow the residents of Albuquerque the opportunity to rise up and ban Late-Term abortions in our city! This is a petition for direct legislation, ironically the “Democratically” controlled legislature up in Santa Fe is preventing the will of the people to be accomplished in this state…so “We the People” are taking direct steps to side-step Santa Fe and allow the democratic process to truly take place here in ABQ!

Below is another of the many interviews Tara Shaver did with KAZQ32 “Spectrum Daily” on Wednesday July 3rd announcing our direct legislation initiative to end Late-Term abortion in Albuquerque. We need your help getting the word out about this and your help getting the 15,000 signatures by the end of JULY to get this on the ballot this October! If you would like to help us, contact Tara for more information: 505-319-7825 or shavermissions@gmail.com

Albuquerque Initiative to Protect Pain Capable Unborn Children is First in Nation at City Level

Albuquerque, New Mexico – A first-in-the-nation effort has been launched by an Albuquerque pro-life group that could ban late-term abortions within the city limits of Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the largest late-term abortion clinic in the nation operates.

“On June 28th, 2013, concerned citizens of Albuquerque, New Mexico, filed a petition for direct legislation by voter initiative with the Albuquerque City Clerk. The ‘Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance’ if put into law in the city of Albuquerque will undoubtedly protect women and children from abortion,” stated Tara Shaver of Project Defending Life, who announced the initiative at a press conference today.

Frustrated by the state’s legislature, which is controlled by pro-abortion Democrats, the group launched the city-wide legislative petition to enact a city ordinance that would protect pain capable unborn children after 20 weeks gestation. The city ordinance would be similar in language to the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which recently cleared the House of Representatives, and a bill known as HB2 in Texas that is the subject of a second special legislative session that has attracted thousands on both sides of the issue to the Texas Capitol.

Eight states have passed late-term abortion bans based on the ability of the pre-born baby to feel pain. If the legislative petition is successful, Albuquerque could become the first city to independently enact a ban on the local level.

Interest in protecting pre-born babies that can feel pain has increased dramatically after horrific details of babies being born alive then brutally murdered surfaced during the Kermit Gosnell murder trial, followed by similar accusations supported by photographic evidence made by three former employees of Houston abortionist Douglas Karpen.

Recent polls show that 64% of Americans oppose abortions in the second trimester while over 80% oppose third trimester abortions such as the kind done in Albuquerque at a clinic, Southwestern Women’s Options, owned by Texas abortionist Curtis Boyd.

“The citizens of Albuquerque are deeply concerned about the safety of women seeking abortions beyond 20 weeks, which according to late term abortionist Curtis Boyd’s, owner of Southwestern Women’s Options, informed consent paperwork are more dangerous than carrying the pregnancy to term,” said Tara Shaver of Project Defending Life.

No guarantee or assurance has been made to me as to the results that may be obtained [as a result of the abortion]. The risk of terminating a pregnancy gradually increases throughout the course of the pregnancy. These comparative risks become approximately equal at 16-18 weeks of pregnancy and increases so that pregnancy termination at 18 weeks and above involves a greater risk than carrying the pregnancy to term.

Project Defending Life and Operation Rescue worked together to expose over a dozen documented medical emergencies at Albuquerque abortion clinics, the majority of which occurred at Southwestern Women’s Options. One incident documented a woman who suffered a ruptured uterus during a 35 week abortion and nearly died. Shelley Sella was charged with gross negligence for that abortion by the New Mexico Medical Board, which inexplicably cleared her of wrongdoing after an expensive prosecution.

The proposed new ordinance acknowledges the fact that as early as 8 weeks gestation a developing baby can respond to touch. This fact was confirmed by testimony given in during a House Judiciary Committee meeting by Dr. Maureen Condic, who is Associate Professor of Neurobiology and Adjunct Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Part of the findings and authorities contained in the ordinance language states, “The position, asserted by some commentators, that the unborn child remains in a coma-like sleep state that precludes the unborn child experiencing pain is inconsistent with the documented reaction of unborn children to painful stimuli and with the experience of fetal surgeons who had found it necessary to sedate the unborn child with anesthesia to prevent the unborn child from engaging in vigorous movement in reaction to invasive surgery.”

“We fully support this citizen’s petition effort in Albuquerque and congratulate Project Defending Life for side-stepping the obstructionists in the state legislature who are busy protecting abortionists when they should be protecting viable babies during the most vulnerable times in their lives,” said Troy Newman, President of Operation Rescue.

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Bud and Tara Shaver are Pro-Life Missionaries serving in Albuquerque, NM. Commissioned by Operation Rescue to Albuquerque in 2010, they are implementing several proven strategies, in an effort to make New Mexico, "Abortion Free." They have redefined the American mission field and their Pro-Life efforts have been featured in virtually EVERY major news source in the country. Bud and Tara strive to keep Christ at the center of their efforts. [Read More …]

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